No, not for a nativity play. Former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez has been chosen to head a group of ten "wise men", who's job it would be to ponder future European integration. The idea was first proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy in August of this year, in what was his first foreign policy speech as French President. In his speech, Sarkozy called on the EU to build a more "harmonious world order", and to strengthen European defence, immigration and environmental policies. Sarkozy said the group of ten "wise men" would look at whether the EU can continue expanding indefinitely, and what the EU's mission would be in the world. But for the meantime, the group will focus on European integration and globalization.

Quote: "The Prime Minister claimed victory after a summit of EU leaders ruled out further changes to their institutions "for the foreseeable future". He insisted there was no appetite for another treaty after a six-year wrangle to secure the Treaty of Lisbon signed on Thursday. But Mr Brown stopped short of ruling out any further EU integration and M. Sarkozy provided ammunition for British Eurosceptics by suggesting the new group – described as "wise men" – would consider such moves. He said the group, proposed by France, would discuss "a politically integrated Europe" and "what will be the new [European] dream". The French President also differed with Mr Brown by saying that the "wise men" could consider whether the EU could continue to expand "indefinitely". That revived fears that France might try to use it to block Turkey joining the EU club, even though EU enlargement is outside the group's formal remit.

So much for a democratic society. Following the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, the British Prime Minister is unable to guarantee there will be no further European integration, and today a group of "wise men" has been chosen by the European Union to look at ways of increasing political integration and globalization. All this talk of European "dreams" and "wise men" reminds me of the prophet Daniel. One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. And in his dream, he saw before him a magnificent image of a man, with a head made of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly of brass, legs of iron and feet made of iron mixed with clay. The king saw until a stone, cut out of the Rock but not by man's hands, struck the image on its feet. The image then shattered into tiny pieces and was blown away in the wind. And the stone grew until it became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. The wise men were unable to understand the meaning of the King's dream. 

Daniel 2:27-29
Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

But God revealed to Daniel the dream and its interpretation, and this passage in the book of Daniel forms the base of our understanding of end time prophecy today. The whole history and future of the human race is revealed within this book. Daniel states that the Babylonian kingdom was represented by the head of gold. The other metals represent world empires that would arise after Nebuchadnezzar's empire (Daniel 2:39-40). Daniel would live to see the second world empire arise, ruled by the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5:28). After this would come the kingdom of Greece (Daniel 10:20), carved out by Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:21). His kingdom would then be conquered by the Roman Empire (Luke 2:1). There have been other world empires which have ruled the earth since the fall of Rome, but none of these have ruled over the nation of Israel. But all that changed in 1948, for within the space of three months, the European Union (then the EEC) and state of Israel were born. Today we are living in the period represented by the feet of iron and clay. A new world empire has entered the scene, a revived Roman Empire. Like the iron and clay, it is partly strong and partly weak. And just as iron doesn't bond with clay, so Europe is governed by a union of individual states which won't bond with each other. Nebuchadnezzar's image has ten toes, which represent ten kings who will receive authority from the Antichrist for a period of one hour. The ten kings are also mentioned in Daniel's visions of the four beasts (Daniel 7:7), and the apostle John's vision of the dragon (Revelation 17:12). Whether or not the ten kings are the ten nations of the Western European Union, or whether these are ten kings that are yet to arise, I'm not sure. There is talk of ten world unions being set up. We already have a European Union (EU), an African Union (AU), an Australasian Union (ASEAN), and we have a Northern American Union is being set up (NAU). Will we eventually have ten unions? I don't know. But what I do know is, that in the days of these ten kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. 

Daniel 2:44-45
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

This is the "dream" that the "wise men" could not understand. And today a group of ten "wise men" are still struggling to understand it. And as Daniel states, the dream is certain and the interpretation sure. Praise God that He has revealed to us through His Word what shall come to pass in the latter days. Praise God that "of the increase of His government and of peace, there shall be no end", Isaiah 9:6-7. The question is, which kingdom do you belong to? Have you been "translated into the kingdom of His dear Son", Colossians 1:13, or do you still belong to the kingdom of darkness (Revelation 16:10)? Don't wait until it's too late. Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today. 

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